Panic broke out during a performance at a West Valley City mall on Tuesday night after the sound of a falling sign was mistaken for gunfire.
Valley Fair Mall closed its doors early after a loud noise caused patrons to flee into stores to hide, West Valley City police said. Police cleared the mall and the parking lot of patrons, who were directed to West Valley City Hall.
"As you can imagine, there's a heightened sense of fear right now with things that have gone on around our country," West Valley City Police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku told FOX 13 News. "People were in a full-on panic."
No injuries were reported, but some “skirmishes” broke out during the evacuation, leading to a few arrests, police said.
Police did not immediately describe the performance that was underway, but the rapper Lil Tecca was the featured artist Tuesday night in the mall’s summer concert series. He posted footage of the show online.
Also on Tuesday evening, there was widespread panic in New York’s Times Square when crowds mistook a backfiring motorcycle for gunshots. This comes just days after 31 people were killed and dozens more wounded in mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
The Tribune will report further details as they become available.
Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune and FOX 13 are content-sharing partners.
